This invention relates generally to refrigeration devices, and more particularly, to refrigerator devices with quick chill and thaw systems.
A typical household refrigerator includes a freezer storage compartment and a fresh food storage compartment either arranged side-by-side and separated by a center mullion wall or over-and-under and separated by a horizontal center mullion wall. Shelves and drawers typically are provided in the fresh food compartment, and shelves and wire baskets typically are provided in the freezer compartment. In addition, an ice maker may be provided in the freezer compartment. A freezer door and a fresh food door close the access openings to the freezer and fresh food compartments, respectively.
Typical refrigerators require extended periods of time to cool food and beverages placed therein. For example, it typically takes about 4 hours to cool a six pack of soda to a refreshing temperature of about 45° F. or less. Beverages, such as soda, are often desired to be chilled in much less time than several hours. Thus, occasionally these items are placed in a freezer compartment for rapid cooling. If not closely monitored, the items will freeze and possibly break the packaging enclosing the item and creating a mess in the freezer compartment.
Numerous quick chill and super cool compartments located in refrigerator fresh food storage compartments and freezer compartments have been proposed to more rapidly chill and/or maintain food and beverage items at desired controlled temperatures for long term storage. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,747,361, 4,358,932, 4,368,622, and 4,732,009. These compartments, however, undesirably reduce refrigerator compartment space, are difficult to clean and service, and have not proven capable of efficiently chilling foods and beverages in a desirable time frame, such, as for example, one half hour or less to chill a six pack of soda to a refreshing temperature. Furthermore, food or beverage items placed in chill compartments located in the freezer compartment are susceptible to undesirable freezing if not promptly removed by the user.
Attempts have also been made to provide thawing compartments located in a refrigerator fresh food storage compartment to thaw frozen foods. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,075. However, known thawing compartments also undesirably reduce refrigerator compartment space and are vulnerable to spoilage of food due to excessive temperatures in the compartments.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a quick chill and thawing system for use in a fresh food storage compartment that rapidly chills food and beverage items without freezing them, that timely thaws frozen items within the refrigeration compartment at controlled temperature levels to avoid spoilage of food, and that occupies a reduced amount of space in the refrigerator compartment.